Grapes to Wine, March 01, 2017

Canadian

GRAPES

to

WINE

Spring 2017

The

most read

business to business wine industry publication in Canada

❚ John Schreiner on Wine ❚ Marketing Your Wine ❚ Vancouver International Wine Festival Celebrates Canada ❚ Canadian Wine Tourism PM # 41262017

Canadian

GRAPES most read

The business to business wine industry publication in Canada

to

WINE

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Publisher: Black Press Managing Editor: Jennifer Schell Advertising Sales: Sommer O’Shaughnessy Ad & Publication Design: Kiana Haner-Wilk, Janelle Baldwin, Laura Millsip, Kelly Ulmer Circulation Manager: Glenn Beaudry Canadian Grapes to Wine articles, columns, pictures and illustrations are copyrighted and may not be reproduced in any other publication without the expressed written consent of the Publisher. Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of information received and printed in Canadian Grapes to Wine, we cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions, E&OE. ISSN 1188 - 1348 Publications Mail Registration No. 41262017

INSIDE History of Grapes to Wine The Rise of Wild Ferment Wineries and Intellectual Property The Drake Vine Wine Festival All She Wrote A Leap in the Light: Science & Wine Winemaking from Coast to Coast

Canadian Grapes to Wine • Spring 2017

4 6 7 8 9 9 10 11

Grow Your Direct-to-Consumer Wine Sales 12 Wine Opulence 13 Canada’s Female Master Of Wine 14 Spotlight: Nik Durisek 15 Smart Marketing for BC Wines 17 Impact of Preharvest Frost on Red Wines 18 Raise A Glass: Adolf Kruger 19

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3

history

GRAPES TO WINE

a bit about us

CANADIAN GRAPES TO WINE CONTINUES TO BE AN IMPORTANT FORUM FOR WINE-RELATED STORIES

By Luke Whittall

The wine industry in BC, and maybe even the rest of Canada, needed a trade publication of its own.

4

The story of Canadian Grapes to Wine began with an aspiring vineyard owner. David Gamble had made his career in media wanting to learn more about the industry that surrounded him.

In 1991, he retired from his job as an editor of community newspapers in Summerland, BC and sought to make grape growing and winemaking his main occupation.

It would be a journey of discovery that would lead the establishment of Canadian Grapes to Wine and its forerunner, British Columbia Wine Trails Magazine (now known as Food & Wine Trails Magazine), the longest continuing wine publication in BC. From his acreage in Summerland, David Gamble personally witnessed this change. In his previous jobs at CKOK radio and editing two community newspapers, Gamble had had his ear firmly to the ground in the Okanagan for over 20 years and was fully aware of what was going on with the agricultural life of the valley.

After selling two Summerland community newspapers in 1990, he planted grape vines on his Summerland property with the intention of becoming a

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DAVE GAMBLE

grape grower himself. In seeking vineyard advice from his many contacts in the grape and wine industry, he soon discovered that they all had a unique story to tell as well as a lot of interesting information. If he found their information interesting and useful, surely there must be others who could benefit from it as well.

He left the plan for grape growing and winemaking and returned to the newspaper world in 1991 with the first edition of British Columbia Wine Trails.

As Gamble recalls in 2016, he designed it “to tell the stories of the industry”. People at that time only heard about wine through the mainstream media confined to special interest lifestyle columns in newspapers and magazines buried somewhere in the final pages.

Now they wanted to know more about it and, perhaps more importantly, the growing wine industry wanted to tell their story. The timing couldn’t have been

better for a new publication.

British Columbia Wine Trails was ready to document an inside look into the re-birth of the BC wine industry starting in the late summer of 1991. Wineries offered their news and information to Gamble, who then wrote up interesting stories about them.

As the issues grew longer, Gamble started to add columns written by others in the industry that became an important forum for wine related stories, innovations, and new technologies. Winemakers Ron Taylor and Ann Sperling and scientist Dr. Gary Strachan contributed columns and Dr. Larry Anderson wrote about wine and health.

These articles started to grow in a different direction from the consumer focus of British Columbia Wine Trails Magazine.

In 2000 Gamble recognized that wine consumers may not necessarily be interested in technical wine articles and created a dedicated industry section within each issue called “B.C. Wine and Grapes”. A year later, it was obvious that the wine industry in BC, and maybe even the rest of Canada, could use a trade publication of its own.

Stay tuned for Part II of this History of Grapes to Wine Magazine in the next issue.

Canadian Grapes to Wine • Spring 2017

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THE RISE OF THE WILD FERMENT

The goal is to create wines that express the individual terroir in that region.

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In Canada, we are seeing a rise in wineries labeling their products as ‘wild ferment’. For this article, we will define wild ferment wines as the use of indigenous, or natural existing yeast found clinging to the surfaces in the vineyard to start primary fermentation.

Wineries labeling their wine as ‘wild ferment’ means that they are making wines that are truly unique and represent their region and vineyards. Often this starts with a minimalist approach in viticulture practices. The goal is to create wines that express the individual vineyard terroir in that region. Wild ferments can end up using several ambient yeasts to complete the ferment, which results in greater complexity than those designed into a specific style. Making wine with indigenous yeast can be difficult due to its unpredictable nature, requiring strict adherence to quality practices both in the vineyard and cellar.

Inevitably, this increases the time spent carefully controlling spoilage organisms and bacteria that may negatively impact the flavour of the final product.

In the Okanagan, we are seeing a rise of consumers responding positively to socially responsible marketing.

So while many wineries in the Okanagan have been practicing or experimenting with indigenous yeast fermentations for many years, using the term ‘wild ferment’ has just recently been included in marketing programs.

While the term ‘wild’ is debatable among industry professionals, it

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Deanna Dunham To research this story, wine writer and marketing professional Deanna Dunham created a questionnaire and sent it out to 100 industry professionals, mostly winemakers.

60 completed questionnaires were returned containing 60 completely different answers as to what wild ferment meant to each of them. The combined answers resulted in this unique marketing perspective.

conveys to the consumer that the taste profile of the wine may differ from traditional expectations.

The challenge with labeling wine as ‘wild ferment’ is that there is no regulation, or Canada-wide standard as to what wild ferment means. This leaves each winery responsible for defining their own standards of ‘wild ferment’ directly to their consumers.

If the term ‘wild ferment’ can increase our individual direct consumer relationships by producing wines that are unique to our vineyards, how does it increase our

Canadian wine as inconsistent and experimental.

The movement towards sub-regions in the Okanagan presents just as many controversial conversations as the term ‘wild ferment’, but from a marketing perspective sub-regions offer an opportunity to define consumer’s expectations of each region’s terroir. The key here is to define traits and taste profiles that can be harmonious in a wine region. The difficulty, like with indigenous yeast, is that neighbouring vineyards in the same sub-region could have

global identity as a wine region?

Wild ferment wines mean more hands-on selling strategies to reach target demographics, which requires more time educating, staff and consumers, to purchase products. Locally, it can be a competitive advantage if a winery succeeds in creating a well-perceived wine, but in the international market, it could represent

an entirely different terroir that affects the wine in completely different ways. Perhaps, these are the factors that make the Okanagan wine region so unique and rather than focusing our marketing efforts on trying to define what a consumer should expect, we need to capitalize on the unexpected and take a ride on the ‘wild’ side.

Canadian Grapes to Wine • Spring 2017

WINERIES AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY There are many categories of “intellectual property”, but the main categories are: Patents, Trademarks, Copyright, Industrial Designs, Trade-Secrets and Plant Breeder’s Rights.

Most intellectual property rights have some legal protection as soon as they arise, however, these rights can be significantly enhanced by registration with the intellectual property offices in many countries. Likely, the most important intellectual property for Wineries is their brand, their name/logo, so essentially their “trademarks”.

A trademark is a symbol/word/ slogan or logo used to distinguish

a brand or product from others.

For Wineries, trademarks can be the name of their Winery and/or the name(s) of their specific varieties of wine. Branding is hugely important within the industry to build up reputation, goodwill and recognition across the country.

Many people confuse trade names and trademarks and think they acquire trademark rights by virtue of having a trade name. A trade name is basically just a business name under which a company carries on business. It may be the corporate name of a company or a name registered with provincial authorities. Generally, such

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registrations do not confer any proprietary rights to the name, and simply enable the public to ascertain who is using a particular trade name.

The name the business uses to market its products and services is called a trademark. A trademark is the device which identifies the particular goods made back to their source. The trade name and the trademark of a business may be one and the same thing, but unless a trademark is actually registered, the protection afforded to trade names only is far less than the protection afforded to a registered trademark. If a business does not apply for a trademark, they may

leave their trade name exposed to infringement claims of other trademark owners who may claim prior rights to the same or a similar trade name.

Protecting trademarks by way of registration is extremely important to any business. The value of your brand can be significant and often much more valuable than any inventory you may have.

This information applies as a general rule ONLY. You should consult a lawyer before acting on any of this information. You can contact Vanessa on 250-869-1140 or dedominicis@pushormitchell. com

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Canadian Grapes to Wine • Spring 2017

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Chris Drake

THE DRAKE VINE

Canada’s varietal diversity

The Okanagan Valley is a microcosm of the wider experimentation with vinifera and hybrids that’s transforming Canada’s wine industry.

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Given its youth and relatively small size, one of the most striking things about Canada’s wine industry is its extensive varietal diversity. Canada’s present day wine industry has really only emerged since the 1980s and, although growth has been rapid, Canada’s 11,000 hectares under vine is still a fraction of New Zealand’s 34,000 hectares.

However, whereas Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir account for 73% of New Zealand’s total production, the varietal range in Canada is much more diverse. For example, BC’s Okanagan alone has some 60-70 different varieties.

Although North AmericanVitis Labrusca such as Concord and Catawba are still grown and, in some places used for wine production, it’s the European vinifera and hybrid varieties that have powered the recent ascendency of Canada’s wine industry.

The sheer range of vinifera that winemakers are successfully experimenting with has become one the defining features of Canada’s wine industry. However, Canadian winemakers are not simply reproducing European wines in a North American locale, but are taking international varieties and making them their own, subjecting them to local terroirs and different production techniques.

The Okanagan Valley is a microcosm of the wider experimentation with vinifera and hybrids that’s transforming Canada’s wine industry. In the Okanagan the varietal map changes as you travel along the 250km from Osoyoos in the south to Shuswap in the north. In the south, where the temperatures are warmest, red Bordeaux and Rhone grape

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varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah do well, with smaller plantings of Malbec and Petit Verdot used as blending partners. Other varieties grown widely throughout the Okanagan include Burgundian grapes such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Gamay Noir, Loire Valley varieties, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc, and those that originate in France’s Alsace region: Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc.

In the northern and central parts of the Okanagan there are considerable plantings of hybrids such as Vidal Blanc, Baco Noir and Maréchal Foch, as well as varieties that originate from Austria and Germany. These include reds such as Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch and whites such as Grüner Veltliner, Kerner, Ortega and Bacchus. In BC, an increasingly diverse group of winemakers are also experimenting with Italian varieties, such as Sangiovese and Trebbianoand Spanish varieties, such as Tempranillo and Albariño, while several winemakers are even working with South Africa’s Pinotage.

Experimentation with new grape varieties has prompted debates about the extent to which Canadian winemakers should specialize by focusing on regional signature grapes. While some argue that the industry lacks focus, others assert that Canadian winemakers don’t need to specialize, but can emphasize their distinctiveness by producing wines that showcase the impact of different

regional terroirs on existing grape varieties. For example, Prince Edward County in Ontario has established a reputation for its Chardonnay while L’Acadie Blanc is widely identified as being the flagship varietal of Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley.

In BC, the southern Okanagan region is increasingly recognized for its complex red wines made from Syrah and the Bordeaux grape varieties. Elsewhere in the Okanagan, winemakers are producing Gewürztraminer with intensely spicy flavors – especially ginger and cardamom. Although the floral and fruit character of Gewürztraminer is just as present in these wines as it is in wines from warmer climates, they don’t overwhelm the delicate balance of spices.

Canada has already established an international reputation for its icewine made from Vidal Blanc, Chardonnay and other varieties.

The success of icewine reflects both a focus on regional signature varieties and an attempt to showcase the impact of regional terroir on those varieties.

Chris Drake is a wine blogger based in the UK. Follow him: thedrakevine.weebly.com

Canadian Grapes to Wine • Spring 2017

Allison Markin

OKANAGAN’S TANTALUS VINEYARDS WINEMAKER DAVID PATERSON & STEPHANIE MOSELY

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HARRY MCWATTERS, ENCORE VINEYARDS WINNER OF THE 2017 SPIRITED INDUSTRY PROFESSIONAL AWARD

Canadian Grapes to Wine • Spring 2017

For the first time, the Vancouver International Wine Festival’s theme country was Canada.

Fitting for 2017 as we celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday, and Canadian wine and wine regions receive more international exposure through awards, major media coverage, and a general sense that the industry has reached a tipping point to discovery.

Much of the media coverage, from major magazines to travel media, to well-trafficked blogs, heralds our key wine areas in Nova Scotia, Ontario, and British Columbia, as must-visit wine regions “you’ve never heard of”.

Soon, we will move from “undiscovered” to “get here before everyone else.”

At VIWF, wines from Nova Scotia’s Tidal Bay were a hit.

Ontario’s reputation as a leader in cool climate wines and events showcasing them was a large presence. And the diversity of BC, from the Wine Islands to the Okanagan, was apparent in the grand tastings.

And now, we are having a yearlong party, and inevitably there will be discussion of the Canadian “identity”, including our wine and culinary persona.

Canada itself may not be a “wine country”; it is too vast, and the industry young by global standards. But our wine regions, coupled with beer producers, distillers, chefs, and our culinary culture, are set to take centre stage this year.

The Canadian wine industry’s economic impact is almost $7 bil-

lion, and for every bottle of wine produced in our country, $31 of domestic economic impact is generated. It’s going to be a great year to support a local winery. How? Join a wine club, or make it easy for patrons to sign up for one; better yet if it’s a regional club that sends wines from several wineries. Most wineries have a club that sends a few cases a year, and might include hard-to-find wines, special events, and more.

Try find one in another province that will ship to yours, or have a few bottles shipped to a friend somewhere else in Canada so they can learn about your area’s terroir.

Visit another Canadian wine region. Trends show this year may be one of staycations for Canadians as Canada 150 deals develop.

Choose Canadian wines, or spirits or craft beer, for the cellar and dinner parties. Heck, have a Canadian Rosé party on July 1st, the perfect way to incorporate red and white. Create a Canadian sangria or cocktail. Try pairing Canadian wine with whatever dish says “Canada” to you. Perusing a restaurant wine list? Encourage restaurants to add Canadian bottles to it.

Finally, plan to attend the Canadian Wine Tourism Summit this November in the Okanagan. Details are in the works. See www. winefest.com Allison Markin is a passionate advocate for Canadian wine tourism and founder of All She Wrote Marketing and Communications

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The Revolutionaries Behind Wine’s Visionaries

10

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A LEAP IN THE LIGHT: SCIENCE & WINE Sometimes in life, the ground shifts from under one’s feet. This happened to Dominique Fink in 2012 when not only the company she worked for decided to shut down but the whole of the industry she worked in collapsed. Add to this, dwindling university research funds and the demise of the biotech industry caused by the 2008 crisis. It was the perfect storm. With basically no prospect for work for someone with her experience and background, she decided to go back to basics. What did she like? What was she good at? Turns out, she really likes wine and she is very good at science.

She decided with her partner Marco Larivière, an experienced chemist, to take a look at the wine industry and realised there was a need for strong quality control testing. Having few options of her own, she decided to take a leap of faith and use her severance package to acquire several quality scientific instruments through auctions from big pharma which were closing down sites “en masse”. The thought of having her own business was quite unnerving and exhilarating at the same time but with her background in high level research and her partner’s background in quality assurance and quality control, she felt confident she could pull it off. The day after the company closed down, she incorporated her business and OEnoscience was born.

Both Dominique and Marco needed however to surround themselves with experts and so they contacted Richard Bastien and Jérémie d’Hauteville, both oenologists at OEnoQuebec who confirmed the

need for a professional analytical wine testing laboratory. “OEnoQuebec has been the cornerstone of oenological counselling in the province of Quebec for the last ten years and are highly regarded in the industry” Dominique says. “They were the logical choice also because not only they share our passion for quality but they are extremely professional”. Jérémie d’Hauteville quickly got them in touch with Jean Natoli, president of Natoli & Coe, a French oenological laboratory lo-

cated in Montpellier France. Jean invited Dominique and Marco to meet him in Montpellier and upon their arrival, he made arrangements for them to meet with Matthieu and Marc Dubernet from Laboratoire Dubernet based in Narbonne.

Dominique and Marco shared their vision about quality and the need to implement a solid quality control laboratory for the rapidly growing wine, beer and spirits industries.

Much to their surprise, Jean, Matthieu and Marc listened to the presentation quite intently and in the end, offered to not only to help setup the lab in Montreal but more importantly, consented to share their knowledge and experience with them.

Upon their return, Dominique and Marco rented a shared space with OEnoQuebec and set up a lab designed to offer high quality Continued on page 14

Canadian Grapes to Wine • Spring 2017

John Schreiner

WINEMAKING FROM COAST TO COAST

“Eighty percent of our production is sparkling wine.

That’s what we set out to do.”

Bruce Ewert and Bruce Nicholson, former leading Okanagan winemakers who moved away, returned to the Vancouver International Wine Festival to show off the wines they now make in Nova Scotia.

Ewert now operates L’Acadie Vineyards with his wife, Pauline Scott. They established the vineyard in the Gaspereau Valley in 2004. The winery opened in 2008, releasing the first traditionally produced sparkling wine in Nova Scotia. L’Acadie now produces 2,000 cases a year, with a target of 5,000 cases. At the festival, Ewert poured three of his sparkling wines. All of them were premium quality.

Nicholson is the chief winemaker at Inniskillin Wines in Niagara, the winery that established Canada’s international reputation with its Icewines. Two of these were on display at the festival, along with three table wines, a Pinot Noir, a Chardonnay and a Riesling. Excellent Riesling wines are made in Ontario and this is one of the best.

In recent years, the Okanagan’s rising reputation as a wine region has attracted numerous winemakers from elsewhere in Canada – winemakers who usually stay. Nicholson and Ewert left for family reasons, not for lack of opportunity to make great wines here. In fact, when Nicholson was chief winemaker at Jackson-Triggs Okanagan, the winery won many awards internationally.

Ewert was born in 1963 in

Canadian Grapes to Wine • Spring 2017

Prince George, the son of a pipeline technical executive. He grew up in California and Vancouver where he took an engineering degree with a food technology bent at the University of British Columbia. Soon after he graduated in 1986, he joined Andrés Wines as a quality control supervisor at the Port Moody winery (which closed in 2005). In 1988, he was transferred to Andrés’ Winona winery in Ontario as an assistant winemaker. Within eighteen months Ewert had become the winemaker at the company’s Truro winery in Nova Scotia. After two years there, he moved back to Port Moody.

This trip around Andrés gave him experience with large vintages -- the Winona plant was processing 5,000 tonnes of grapes a year -- and with making wine in Truro with raw materials mostly from California, Spain and Argentina. He left Andrés in 1994 for a winemaking sabbatical to Australia, returning to British Columbia in mid-1995. He became a consulting winemaker for sister wineries Sumac Ridge and Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards (now See Ya Later Ranch).

In 2002, he moved to Summerhill Pyramid Winery where he got to hone his skills with sparking wine. In 2004, he returned

to Nova Scotia – his wife is from Nova Scotia – to launch L’Acadie Vineyards.

“Eighty percent of our production is sparkling wine,” Ewert says. “That is what we set out to do.”

BRUCE EWERT

He has also consulted with several other Nova Scotia wineries, helping them produce traditional method sparkling wine.

“I don’t want Nova Scotia to be known for carbonated wine,” he says.

John Schreiner is Canada’s most prolific writer of books on wine. Since his first book in 1984, The World of Canadian Wine, he has written 15, including multiple editions of The Wineries of British Columba, British Columbia Wine Country and John Schreiner’s Okanagan Wine Tour Guide. His newest book, Icon will be available this spring.

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11

GROW YOUR DIRECT-TOCONSUMER WINE SALES Choosing the right software

WHY BUY SOFTWARE? With more opportunity for wineries looking to grow their direct-to-consumer wine sales, choosing the right software has never been more critical but it can also be intimidating; vendors offering a dizzying array of features, functionality, integrations and price points. For these reasons, choosing software for wineries can be expensive and risky. However, a successfully implemented solution can make your business more efficient, improve your bottom line, and promote top-line growth with new functionality for sales and marketing. By properly planning and structuring throughout the process, you can increase your chances of a successful implementation.

UPFRONT PLANNING PAYS OF LATER

When approaching a potential software acquisition or upgrade, it is important to first step back and treat the endeavour with the same seriousness and rigour that you would with any other large capital expenditure. Although software is ephemeral by nature, it is as much a part of your business infrastructure as any other piece of property, plant or equipment. Structuring the project as such, setting realistic timelines and comprehensive budgets will put the team into the right frame of mind and ensure that unforeseen obstacles do not sidetrack the project down the line.

For example, the implementation team will need to interact with key staff members which could cause major headaches if mistakenly scheduled during a busy season for the business.

ARE YOU READY? 12

The first step in any successful software implementation is an honest and thorough readiness assessment. Going into the software implementation with eyes open and recognition that it could entail significant change for many aspects of the business can help prevent overburdening your organization during a time of significant change. All organizations have a limited capacity for change during any one time, and a major software implementation can take up a substantial amount of that bandwidth. If your organization has undergone a large amount of change recently, such as major staff turnover, acquisition or divestiture of a business segment or property, it may be better to delay the implementation to allow the organization to stabilize. Rather than disappointment, look at this as an opportunity for greater planning and forethought in your software selection.

DON’T REPLICATE WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE Organizations often start down the path of software implementations without understanding what they will use the system for or what is possible, and their decisions are filtered through the capabilities or restrictions of existing systems and processes. By carefully documenting the requirements of what the system needs to do, you will be in a much better position to define the scope of what the software must cover. During this exercise, it is important to identify mandatory and optional functionality. This will allow you to prioritize which modules are mandatory from the outset, which can be implemented in subsequent

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Simon Daley & Cameron Sieleski MNP LLP

Simon Daley is a Manager in MNP’s Consulting Services group in Victoria. Specializing in Information Technology (IT) and Project Management, Simon solves business challenges through the creative use of readily available technology. His clients include provincial and local government and not-for profit organizations, light industrial businesses, regulatory agencies and licensing boards looking to leverage technology to support and enhance business.

phases, and how you can align this functionality with your organizational priorities.

COUNTERING SALES PITCHES WITH STRUCTURE

All too often, wineries choose software systems based on some combination of an emotional preference, gut feeling or even a good sales pitch. With an established understanding of requirements an organization can run a formal selection process. Structuring a Request for Proposal that focuses on your priorities will compel vendors to answer the questions that matter most, rather than highlighting their competitive advantages. Ensuring that vendors must respond in a prescribed manner will provide metrics around the software’s capability as proposals will address requirements rather than just high level selling points.

It will also provide like-for-like comparatives for price, scope and functional fit. Add to these scripted demos and you will be able to see a direct comparison between system functionality and user experience.

CHOOSING A PARTNER, NOT A VENDOR

Wineries usually lack expertise in implementing large software systems. Implementation partners who specialize in the selected software system bring experience and deep knowledge of how to implement functionality based on business requirements. They also bring added experience around project management, organizational change management, support and system security. Increasingly, they offer cloud-hosted

solutions that reduce the overhead and risk of hosting your solution on your own servers. When selecting an implementation partner, go in with the understanding that you are selecting a long term business partner and trusted advisor that will not only guide you down the path of implementation, but will also be there to provide support, training and enhance your systems as new business needs arise.

DIP IN, DON’T DIVE. MODULARIZE!

While it can be tempting to implement all the desired functionality all at once and be free from software implementations until your next acquisition or upgrade, sometimes a measured and phased approach will provide greater value for money and minimize risk.

By starting with the most essential functionality, you minimize the impact on the organization overall and are able to understand how your organization adapts to software changes. The experience of implementing your first few modules may also inform your approach or prioritization of further modules. By creating a phased roadmap and revising as necessary, you can remain agile while focusing on the highest value functionality and avoid potential roadblocks like staff availability during busy seasons and financial year ends.

To learn more about how MNP can help you optimize your technology, contact Simon Daley at 778.432.3052 or simon.daley@mnp.ca or Geoff McIntyre at 1-877-766-9735 or Geoff. mcintyre@mnp.ca

Canadian Grapes to Wine • Spring 2017

WINE OPULENCE

Protection for your liquid assets Each year, millions of travelers visit wineries around the world.

There’s no better way to discover new wines, but there’s never been a simple, cost-effective way to get the wine home-- until now.

The Wine Check arrived in Canada January 29th 2016 and is distributed throughout Canada

by Wine Opulence. It has been available in the US for 7 years and Europe for 3 years.

The Wine Check -Wine Luggage is designed to provide a safe, economical, and sensible solution to bringing your wine with you, and making sure it arrives safely at home. The Wine Check features two carry handles and wheels with a removable pull strap, making the transportation of your wine from winery to car and back, as well as throughout the airport, a breeze.

The Wine Check is available in black, red and red with the Wine Check logo. It is available branded at select wineries and boutiques across Canada.

You can now bring bottles of delicious, local goodness (wine, champagne, cider, beer, spirits,

and olive oil) back home. The Wine Check fits a variety of bottle diameters and heights allowing you to travel with different types (from standard sizes to larger bottles).

Wine Opulence grew out of a passion for wine and values deeply rooted in service excellence.

Louise Osmond retired from her career in the Human Services field June 2015. Osmond and her husband, Scott Slater, have a love for wine. While touring in Napa and Sonoma counties in July 2015, they came across the Wine Check. Osmond and Slater decided to move forward and take on distribution of the Wine Check throughout Canada because they believed in the quality of the product.

Wine Opulence strives to provide the highest quality wine luggage and care accessories to businesses and individual clients alike.

Contact Louise at 250-8649464 for more information or email info@wineopulencecanada. com.

MAKE SURE YOUR CUSTOMER’S WINE ARRIVES SAFELY AT HOME The Wine Check is not just another wine shop gift item. It is a profit model in getting your customers’ wine home safely.

250.864.9464

P.O. Box42, 42, GrandForks, Forks, BCV0H V0H 1H0 P.O. P.O.Box Box 42,Grand Grand Forks,BC BC V0H1H0 1H0 P.O. Box 42, Grand Forks, BC V0H 1H0 Toll Free: 1-877-762-4652 Toll Free: 1-877-762-4652 Toll Free: 1-877-762-4652 TollFax: Free: 1-877-762-4652 Fax: 250-767-0094 Fax:250-767-0094 250-767-0094 Fax: 250-767-0094 bcga@grapegrowers.bc.ca bcga@grapegrowers.bc.ca bcga@grapegrowers.bc.ca bcga@grapegrowers.bc.ca louise@grapegrowers.bc.ca louise@grapegrowers.bc.ca louise@grapegrowers.bc.ca louise@grapegrowers.bc.ca

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CANADA’S ONLY FEMALE MASTER OF WINE The ratio for women to men in our Canadian wine industry has been steadily growing. With more and more women becoming winemakers, sommeliers, winery owners and educators, Barbara Philip MW is a trailblazer in our world of wine.

1. Can you share your progress report on the Canadian wine industry since you began your career.

It has been such a pleasure to ‘grow up’ in the industry along with the wines of British Columbia. As sommeliers, we could find good wines 25 years ago, but they didn’t appear with anything like the consistency that they do now. We’ve also seen more exchange between our producers and the international scene (winemakers travelling back and forth, tasting widely etc.) Because of the range of climates from Vancouver Island to the Similkameen, to the north and south of the Okanagan, we are capable of many different styles. Within each general sub area, we have started to see wines emerging that are expressive of their terroir. I’m thinking of Pinot Noir from the Island along with (very different) Pinot

Noir and Chardonnay from the north of the Okanagan, Riesling and Pinot Blanc from the mid valley and Syrah from the south.

Cooler regions are making Traditional Method sparkling wines that are excellent; I would love to see more!

Where are we now on an international scale?

Our wines, particularly those that carry a unique regional expression, are very interesting on an international scale.

2. Do you have any feedback from the world wine scene on what we have created here?

Because of the limited production, they are still difficult to find abroad. When I travel, people are always asking me about the BC wines and are really curious to try them.

3. Women in our industry have also made exponential growth why do you feel this world was male dominated for so long?

I’m not sure why the wine industry was male dominated for so long but it certainly wasn’t uniquely so! It has definitely changed in the years I have worked in wine and this includes

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all aspects and all tiers in the supply chain.

4. Any other exciting innovations to share after the International Wine Fest?

I was so excited to taste OENOSCIENCE continued from 10 testing at a reasonable price using cutting edge technology. “Our advantage, says Dominique, is that we work closely with oenologists.

We can therefore quickly identify a problem in an analytical result and react accordingly”. “Also, through our partners in Narbonne, we can offer sophisticated analytical testing like wood aroma profiling or pesticide analysis which a small lab would not normally do because of the prohibitive cost of sophisticated analytical instruments”.

OEnoscience started by offering routine analytical monitoring of sugars, organic acids, % of alcohol and sulfites in wines, ciders and mead during harvest, fermentations and maturation. The lab is now offering analysis of beer and spirits and has setup a microbiology program. “We worked hard on method validation to provide quality results and its paying off” Dominique says. “We were the first laboratory to be recognised by the “Société des Alcools du Québec” (SAQ) to be allowed to emit laboratory certificates for the commercialisation of fortified and non-fortified alcoholic beverages in grocery stores in Quebec”.

‘coast to coast’ this wine festival and, also, to see my international colleagues getting a chance to try them. I would love to see more events where we get a chance to try wines from across the country in the same venue.

“The learning curve has been steep” says Dominique, “and the hours long but all the more worth it”. In the last 4 years, OEnoscience increased its client base 10-fold.

The lab now receives samples from all over the province, from Ontario and Nova Scotia as well. With the increase in volume, OEnoscience hired its first full time employee, Paul Enache, an experienced chemist with extensive knowledge of gas-chromatography (GC). “The craft distilleries are booming and so, we are adapting to this environment by offering more fine scale analyses such as determination of methanol, higher alcohols and volatiles. And this is just the beginning.” With her background in molecular biology, Dominique hopes to implement genetic yeast strain identification in house and detection of microorganisms by PCR in a near future.

This journey has been full of ups and downs but in the end, Dominique feels this is the best move she ever made. Everything happens for a reason… www.oenoscience.com

Canadian Grapes to Wine • Spring 2017

Abbey Westbury

SPOTLIGHT: NIK DURISEK

Winemaking is an industry like any other, borne of hard, dirty work, patience and collaboration

Winemaking! It inspires such romantic images of ancient villas, flowing hills and leisurely al fresco meals at long, shared tables.

Alas, any vintner can confirm that the reality is far less glamourous. Winemaking is an industry like any other, where the final product is borne of hard, dirty work, patience and collaboration from many arenas. The collaborators, often on the periphery of the grape-to-glass highway, are essential to the process. In this issue, we shine the spotlight on one adjunct member of the Canadian winemaking community.

Nik Durisek, owner of Okanagan Wine Labs in Penticton, BC, took a circuitous route to the Okanagan Valley. Born and raised on the US East Coast, Nik found his way from Pennsylvania to the Arizona desert for university.

After graduating from Arizona State with a degree in Biology,

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Nik worked in sales for 12 years, a career which brought him up to the rain coast of Vancouver, BC, where he ultimately met his wife, Kate. As adventurous newlyweds, they visited the Okanagan, toured the valley’s winery hotspots, and were inspired. Nik and Kate pursued advanced-level WSET certifications, spent weekends in the Valley helping with the harvest on local vineyards, tried their hands at making cider from Okanagan apples, and made a fateful decision.

In 2012, the Durisek family upped-sticks and headed back to the desert, landing in Penticton.

Photo: Susan McIver

Like many in the industry, they were driven by a passion to be a part of the wine world, although they weren’t quite sure how they would make that happen. Nik’s expertise in sales naturally led to a job as a wine agent, but it was his simultaneous study in Okanagan College’s Winery Assistant program that provided his aha! moment. A rotation in winery lab work reminded Nik of his love of science (lo, those many years ago), and the goal of developing a lab specifically tailored to the needs of winemakers came into focus.

In 2013, Kate found a VQA Continued on page 16

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DURISEK continued from page 15 certified Kelowna lab for sale, and the pair jumped in with both feet.

The Duriseks moved the lab down to Penticton, converted an existing home workshop into a state of the art lab, and are constantly investing in new equipment and innovative technology to make their company a key player on the Canadian wine scene. Serving the varied needs of the industry, Nik runs tests for popular queries

such as export anaylisis, VQA certification, YAN levels and malic acid levels, among more obscure-yet-necessary measurements. The lab’s client list has doubled under Durisek’s direction, and business is thriving.

While his “real” job keeps Nik hopping, he and Kate have also carved out time to follow their passion: making craft cider. In 2014, the couple purchased a property in Oliver and (to the shock of the wine community) ripped out three

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acres of unhappy vines. Those have been replaced by 30 varieties of cider-specific apples much better suited to the site, which form the foundation of Howling Moon Craft Cider, the Durisek’s labour of love. 2016 saw the production of 24,000 litres, comprised of the cidery’s three main brews and a limited-release Maker’s Series, which are sold through the on-site tasting room, restaurants, private liquor stores, festivals, farmer’s markets and craft breweries.

Nik and Kate are strong believers in creating and supporting local, well-made products. Their ciders are infused with fruits and botanicals grown as close to home as possible –mostly in the Durisek’s own garden (although, Nik points out that even the greenest thumb would have trouble growing vanilla in Canada). What they don’t grow on their own

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The Duriseks are devoted to their local professional community, as well. As an integral industry collaborator, Nik knows just how many small details are involved in putting out a product; as such, he mentors small new startups, helping them navigate the often overwhelming aspects of the liquor business.

At home, while Nik and Kate are busy working, the Durisek’s young children help with the harvest and play in the fields and small stream that surround their Okanagan idyll. Cutting edge science may be going on behind closed doors there, but as Nik describes his home and his lab, he’s found his paradise, proving that, with passion and focus, the romantic ideal of life in the wine world can indeed become a reality.

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Canadian Grapes to Wine • Spring 2017

SMART MARKETING FOR BC WINES

How behind the scenes activities bring wine to our glasses

By Mireille Sauvé British Columbia’s wineries are making world-class wines, but how can they compete for sales against a global enterprise of wineries with centuries more experience than they have in our competitive marketplace? Smart Marketing, that’s how.

Vancouver-based consulting company The Wine Umbrella helps local wineries to get ahead through unique marketing and promotional activities including strategic planning, media relations, retail and restaurant promotions and ever-engaging wine events.

Wineries and consumers alike benefit for these types of initiatives: take media relations, for example.

If you’re an average consumer who simply likes to explore delicious wine and is always looking to discover a new favourite, you might think that a press release has nothing to do with you, but consider this: A winery issues a press release about a promotional tasting event that they are going to host at their winery in the near future.

The release gets distributed to local members of the media, who then integrate this information to their programming. Before you know

it, you’re hearing about the event on the radio, reading about it in the paper, maybe even seeing it on TV. It sounds like a great event! A winery that you’ve been wanting to check out is holding a wine tasting party next weekend and it costs next-to nothing to attend. They’ll have all their wines available for sampling alongside some tasty food bites and they’ve even arranged musical entertainment for the evening. You text a few friends and before you know it, you’re in great company, overlooking a beautiful vineyard, discovering new wines and having a blast. All because of a press release.

And that’s just one example of how marketing matters to the wines in our glasses. There are plenty of great plans that go on behind the scenes to bring awareness to good folks who like wine. Social media is a big one – who doesn’t love entering a contest that could win them free

tasting passes through their favourite wine region, all with the click of a ‘like’ or ‘share’ button? There are in-store promotions too, where consumers will walk into a wine store and see a big display of bottles, all adorned with special little treats, such as chocolate, or jam, or cookies – free gifts with purchase is another effective marketing tool which encourages people to try new wines.

There are countless ways that local wineries can blend use their own unique ideas with the guidance of seasoned industry experts to make their wines stand out in a crowd. The Wine Umbrella is here to help – to listen, to advise, to plan and to carry out, all custom-tailored to each winery’s unique needs and objectives.

From marketing to mouthful, it’s the behind-the scenes work that gets wine into glasses. Cheers! www.thewineumbrella.com

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Canadian Grapes to Wine • Spring 2017

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EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF PREHARVEST FROST ON RED WINES When Niagara vineyards were hit by an early frost during the 2015 harvest, winemaker Emily Aubie and her colleagues were puzzled by the impact the frost was having on their wines.

What Aubie and other Ontario winemakers were noticing was that when Cabernet sauvignon and Cabernet franc were machine-harvested after a frost, the wines had an unfavourable floral/green aroma and taste, decreased colour intensity

and a bitter taste that lingered on the palate.

Frosted leaves and petioles— referred to as MOG (materials other than grapes) —that weren’t present when the grapes were hand-picked were thought to be impacting the wine fermentations.

With no concrete answer, the problem was brought to scientist Andrew Reynolds at Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute. Reynolds invit-

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ed Aubie to return to Brock, where she completed a Certificate in Grape and Wine Technology, to get to the bottom of what was happening based her winemaking knowledge and PhD in chemistry.

“The goal is to help improve the quality of wines in Niagara,” Aubie said. “However, this work could have a global impact in the face of climate change when regions who don’t typically have frost exposure during the growing season encounter an early frost.”

They started by gathering samples of impacted wines from two commercial wineries for analysis, while planning a research trial during the 2016 harvest. Preliminary chemical analysis on the commercial wines has showed elevated levels of the unfavourable floral compounds. Next, Aubie will look to a sensory panel to see if these compounds are present at a level that can be detected by consumers.

To understand what compounds are impacting the fermentation, a trial examining the impact of frosted leaves and petioles—the stalk that joins the leaf to a stem— is also underway.

“Traditionally people have been more concerned about the addition of petioles,” Aubie said. “But no one has ever looked at the impact of increased leaves after frost.”

The control wine in the trial has no MOG added, and then the trials either add four increasing amounts of frosted petioles into the wine, or four increasing amounts of frosted leaves. This will allow the researchers to see how each MOG is independently impacting the wine.

Reynolds noted that during the past few vintages, growers are letting grapes hang longer on the vine to mature longer, which could increasingly bring them head-to-

head with frost.

“As a researcher it’s always exciting to be looking at something that hasn’t been examined before,” Reynolds said.

EMILY AUBIE COLLECTING MOG FOR HER RESEARCH INTO THE IMPACT OF PREHARVEST FROST

Understanding the impact of the frost will allow the researchers to provide the industry with best practice guidelines and details on managing the unfavourable characteristics.

Aubie and Reynolds are looking to secure funding to continue this work. Next they’ll examine how the unfavourable characteristics are impacted by alcohol and heat extraction; the amount of time grapes and MOG are soaked prior to ferment; and the impact different yeast strains have.

This project is funded by Ontario Grape and Wine Research Inc. and through in-kind support from Andrew Peller Ltd. and Diam.

Kaitlyn Little, B.Comm. Honours, BEd. Marketing and Communications Officer University Marketing and Communications/Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute Brock University Niagara Region

Canadian Grapes to Wine • Spring 2017

RAISE A GLASS TO WINE COUNTRY PIONEER We are sad to announce the passing of the much loved Adolf Friedrich “Fritz” Kruger on November 20th, 2016 at the age of 85 years. Patriarch of Wild Goose Vineyards in Okanagan Falls, Adolf was a pioneer of the local wine industry and was instrumental in creating farmgate status for wineries – a crucial moment in wine country history.

Born in Kehrberg, Germany on October 5, 1931, Adolf spent much of his childhood growing up during the war years. After the war and having fled East Germany, he and his brother immigrated to Canada in 1951 settling in Winnipeg, where he met his wife Susanna and had two sons, Hagen and Roland.

After studying English and yacht design, Adolf moved his entire family to Vancouver in 1964.

At age 52 Adolf, who was semi retired, visited long time friend Nick Broderson who owned a vineyard in Kaleden and after that visit, a dream was born!

Adolf and his sons purchased a 10 acre parcel of land

in Okanagan Falls and in 1984 Wild Goose Vineyards was established. In the mid to late 80’s as free trade began to cast a dark cloud over the BC wine industry, Adolf did not sit idle, but began to lobby government for a number of years to change winery licensing and in 1990 Wild Goose Winery was licensed as BC’s first Farmgate winery to grow, produce and bottle on site! Adolf played a large roll in the formation of the BC Wine Institute, wine standards, and the VQA program that declared 100% BC content in wine. Adolf was inducted into the BC Wine Museum and won the BC Wine Industry Founders Award in 2006.

Adolf grew Wild Goose and helped the BC wine industry grow from 17 wineries in BC in 1990 to over 300 across the province today, and a remarkable 10,000+ acres of vineyard planted province wide. In his later years he was always active around the winery as “Mr. Fix It”, welcoming customers in

Adolf Friedrich Kruger October 5, 1931 – November 20, 2016

ADOLF FRIEDRICH KRUGER

the tasting room or entertaining guests on the deck of the Smoke and Oak bistro.

Adolf not only helped grow the BC wine industry, but his family grew as well. Adolf cherished social gatherings with the entire family, always enjoying food,

a laugh, and a glass of Wild Goose wine!

Please raise a beer and a schnapps to a pioneer, builder, intellect, father, loving and caring family man.

-The Kruger Family

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